(Can't Get No) Satisfaction

Think "Shallow"

This mindset is apposite to Lady Margaret Thatcher's accusation to Parliament Liberals that (from memory), "Aha! You don't care at all about the welfare of the poor so long as the wealthy suffer," which also applies to our own Liberals. And, in an oblique way, with Democrat's passion for winning, even if they' know they're wrong, and even if it means disaster. That's what I see anyway. Skeptic March 2007 issue (Can't Get No) Satisfaction The new science of happiness needs some historical perspective By Michael Shermer Imagine you have a choice between earning $50,000 a year while other people make $25,000 or earning $100,000 a year while other people get $250,000. Prices of goods and services are the same. Which would you prefer? Surprisingly, studies show that the majority of people select the first option. As H. L. Mencken is said to have quipped, "A wealthy man is one who earns $100 a year more than his wife's sister's husband." This seemingly illogical preference is just one of the puzzles that science is trying to solve about why happiness can be so elusive in today's world. Several recent books by researchers address the topic, but my skeptic's eye found a historian's long-view analysis to be ultimately the most enlightening. (continue)